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Klingon
]] ]] :"A Klingon's honor means more to him than his life!" ::– Kurn The Klingons (Klingonese: tlhIngan) were a humanoid warrior species that originated from the planet Qo'noS (pronounced Kronos), an M-class planet. One of the major powers of the galaxy, the Klingons were a proud, tradition-bound people who valued honor and combat. The aggressive Klingon culture had made them an interstellar military power to be respected and feared. Klingons believed that they had the instinctive ability to look an opponent in the eye and see any intent to kill. History and politics * Main article: Klingon history The Klingon Empire was founded some time in the 9th century by Kahless the Unforgettable, who performed many heroic feats including the unification of the Klingon people when he killed the tyrant Molor. Kahless came to be revered in Klingon society to the point of near-deification, and many aspects of Klingon culture came to revolve around emulation of Kahless' life. ( ) , Data gave the exact date of Kahless's death as 1,547 years ago (from 2369), or AD 822. Also according to , that the Earth calendar year of 2373 coincides with the year of Kahless 999.}} The warrior ethos had been an important aspect of Klingon society since the time of Kahless, but the warrior aspects became much more dominant beginning in the early 22nd century. Previously, Klingon society was regarded as socially balanced, but over time the warrior caste gained greater prominence, to the point where the Klingons widely came to be regarded as a "warrior race." ( ) Because of their aggressive outlook, the Klingons generally had poor relations with other races after they began to move out into space. Because the worlds of the Klingon Empire were resource-poor, the Klingons developed an intense belief in the need for expansion and conquest in order to survive. The Klingons' relationship with Humans and the Federation was rocky at best. Following the disastrous First Contact between Klingons and Humans, tense rivalries and unavoidable conflicts often developed between the two races. ( ), In the year 2154, the Klingons gained access to the genetic material of Human Augments and tried to adapt this genetic engineering to improve themselves. The test subjects did gain increased strength and intelligence, but then their neural pathways started to degrade and they died in agony. One of the subjects suffered from the Levodian flu, which was modified by the Augment DNA to become a fatal, airborne, mutagenic plague that spread rampantly among the Empire, from world to world. In the first stage of this plague, Klingons lost the ridges on their foreheads and began to look more Human. With the help of a Klingon scientist named Antaak, Dr. Phlox of the Earth starship ''Enterprise'' was able to formulate a cure that halted the genetic effects of the virus in the first stage. This retained the changes in appearance along with some minor neural re-ordering. The neural ordering caused changes in the emotional make up of the Klingons. For example, the infected started to feel fear. Even though the infected did not develop any stage-two characteristics, such as enhanced strength, speed, or endurance they did not die from it. This left millions of Klingons changed. These alterations were even passed on to their children. ( ) Klingons were apparently so embarrassed by the fallout from their failed attempt at genetic enhancement that they refused to discuss the incident with outsiders. Due to the secrecy of the Klingon Empire, knowledge of the change became lost over time to the general population of the Federation. By the 24th century, the reason for smooth forehead Klingons was not widely known outside the Empire, and questions were generally met with a brusque answer along the lines of "we don't discuss it with outsiders." ( ; ) By 2223, relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire degenerated to a point of relentless hostility, which lasted for several decades. ( ; ) The lingering tensions between Klingons and Humans continued to rise, eventually leading to the Battle of Donatu V near Sherman's Planet in 2245, and later erupted into what was considered the first Federation-Klingon War in 2267. This war was quickly ended by intervention by the Organians after only four days of fighting. ( ) Over the next several decades, an uneasy peace developed that was broken by brief but fierce skirmishes and conflicts ( ; ). A true and lasting peace finally came in 2293 with the signing of the Khitomer Accords, thanks to the efforts of Chancellor Gorkon and the Human Starfleet officer James T. Kirk. ( ) Since then, despite several periods of rocky relations (see Federation-Klingon War (2372-73)), the Federation and the Klingon Empire have been steadfast allies, especially in the face of Dominion aggression in the 2370s. ( ) The Klingon relationship with the Romulan people was also extremely unstable. A short-lived alliance and technology exchange notwithstanding, the Romulan Star Empire were typically regarded by the Klingons as a "blood enemy" since at least the 23rd century. Sporadic Romulan attacks against Klingon colonies (see Khitomer Massacre) and interference in Klingon affairs (see Klingon Civil War) continued to sour relationships between the two peoples. ( ) In the mirror universe, the Klingons were a founding race of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance, where they formed an alliance with that universe's Cardassian counterparts. ( ) According to Daniels, the Klingons joined the Federation by the 26th century. ( ) Society "Even half drunk, Klingons are among the best warriors in the galaxy." : – The Doctor Klingon society was extremely complex. Before its decline in the mid 22nd century and again in late 23rd century Klingon society was based on a feudal system organized around traditional Great Houses of noble lineage, to which various parts of the population owed fealty. The Great Houses are traditionally represented in the Klingon High Council, which is led by a Chancellor. The decline of Klingon culture is demonstrated in the acts of the Klingons themselves. They stopped caring about their weapons to the point that they let them rust ( ) and even stopped caring for true honor ( ). Sometime after the augment virus took hold of the Klingon Empire a new regime took control turning the Empire into a fascist state that kept tabs on all who served. ( ). The old ways returned in the latter 23rd and early 24th centuries respectively. Males traditionally dominated public life in the Empire, assuming the leading roles in politics and the military with only rare exceptions. ( ) A notable exception to the prohibition of women serving on the High Council came when Azetbur became Chancellor of the High Council after her father, Gorkon, was assassinated in 2293. ( ) Women, in turn, traditionally dominated the household and the management of the family's affairs. ( ) Klingon women were treated as equals except in politics and matters of inheritance. They were prohibited by law from serving in the High Council and cannot take control of their Houses unless they have the money and no male successors of the lineage. Otherwise, Klingon women were expected to exhibit the same physical prowess and lust for blood and honor as the men. Klingon society functioned through a system of family reputation and honor. Tradition was an integral part of their lives and breaking from observances was considered a grievous insult to society, an insult that is not forgotten easily. An offense usually brought shame to the offender's name for several generations. The highest shame was discommendation, an action by the High Council to officially strip a Klingon of his personal or family honor. Bloodlines and relations were also taken very seriously by any "true" Klingon. Lines comprise more than mere family members. ( ) An integral part of tradition was the various rituals that mark milestones in a Klingon's life or the history of the Empire. Most notable of the rites was the Rite of Succession, which a future leader of the Empire must complete with a valid Arbiter of Succession (Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the case of Gowron) overseeing the proceedings. Before the Rite can begin, there was another elaborate ceremony needed to confirm the death of the previous leader. This was known as the Sonchi ceremony. ( ) Individual Klingon warriors were expected to go through the Rite of Ascension to be recognized as a full adult. ( ) If the house that an individual Klingon belongs to is dissolved or falls into dishonor, he can be adopted into another house through the R'uustai or alternative ceremonies that symbolically mark the joining of kinship and allegiance. ( , , , ) Klingons were extremely territorial. According to the first known Klingon linguist, there was no such thing as an "insignificant corner of Klingon space". ( ) Physiology The most distinctive feature of Klingon anatomy (except in those individuals afflicted with the Augment Virus) was a ridged forehead. The cranium was encased in an exoskeleton, which possesses a feature known as the tricipital lobe. ( ) On average, Klingons were larger and physically stronger than Humans, though they possessed much less tolerance for cold weather. ( ; ) Spock said once that Klingons lack tear ducts; however, Klingon myth states that Kahless once filled the ocean with his tears. ( ; ) , Klingon blood appears pink/violet in one scene. It is also possible that Klingon blood is "canonically" pink in color, because of what Colonel Worf said in The Undiscovered Country regarding the difference in Klingon blood compared to Human blood (after Colonel West, disguised as a Klingon, was shot down). On the other hand, with the sole exception of Star Trek VI, Klingon blood has always been red in every instance that it has been shown, including in , and multiple episodes of all of the Star Trek television serie}} Klingon blood can contain ribosomes that are compatible for transfusion with a Romulan. ( ) Internally, Klingon anatomy was markedly different from that of Humans. There is a great deal more multiple redundancy in their organs, a principle they call brak'lul. This allowed Klingons to survive severe injuries in battle. They had twenty-three ribs, two livers, an eight chambered heart, three lungs, and even redundant neural function and multiple stomachs. Some geneticists believed that the extra organs, notably the third lung, evolved to give Klingons greater stamina on the battlefield. Surprisingly, Klingons had relatively little knowledge of their own biology and their medicine is very poorly developed. This was largely due to their warrior traditions – a Klingon who is wounded was expected to be left to survive through his own strength, die, or to undergo the hegh'bat, a form of ritual suicide. ( ; ) It is interesting to note that, despite the anatomical and physiological differences between Klingons and Humans, the two species had very similar nutritional requirements. Dr. Pulaski once noted that, while most Humans find Klingon food unpalatable, that usually "what kills us kills them." ( ) Klingon pregnancies normally ran thirty weeks, but with mixed species, gestation times were shorter. The odds against Klingon-Human conceptions were rather high; however, when successful, Klingon and Human metabolisms sometimes clashed, causing biochemical fluctuations in the mother, which may lead to fainting. Klingon traits remained dominant for several generations, even with a single ancestor; therefore, a child even ¼ Klingon still possessed forehead ridges if he or she carried the gene. ( ) Klingons had ridged spines, chests and feet. ( ; ; ) After birth some Klingon infants experienced a pronounced curvature to the spine, which was correctable by surgery. This "defect" tended to run in Klingon families, especially among females. Federation medicine, fortunately, advanced beyond that, allowing an additional choice of treatment involving genetic modification. ( ) Klingon children matured far more quickly than Human children. At the age of only one Earth year, a Klingon child had the appearance a Human child had at about four. By the age of eight Earth years, a Klingon attained the maturity a Human did not reach until about age sixteen. ( ; ) When Klingon children began growing into adults, they went through jak'tahla, a Klingon form of puberty. ( ) Like other mammalian species, Klingon females were capable of lactating to breast-feed infants. ( ) Klingons tended to live for over 150 years, but even into advanced old age, they tended to still be strong enough for combat. ( ) Doctor Julian Bashir once sarcastically noted that the natural odor produced by Klingons was comparable to "vanilla with a hint of lilac". ( ) Religion and tradition Ritual was a very important element in Klingon society. While the Klingons were not a religious people as such, they did believe that deities existed at one time. However, Klingon warriors supposedly slew their gods as they were considered to be more trouble than they were worth. ( ) They believed that once a Klingon died, the spirit exited the body, leaving behind a worthless shell to be disposed of. ( ) In the Klingon death ritual, it was traditional for those on hand to howl into the sky as a warning to the afterlife that a Klingon warrior was about to arrive. ( ; ) In some cases a funeral dirge was sung in memory of the deceased, or friends sat with the body to protect it from predators, a practice known as ak'voh. ( ) Furthermore, a Klingon who was unable to fight, and hence is unable to live as a warrior anymore, had the traditional obligation of committing the hegh'bat, which was the Klingon ritual suicide. Tradition dictated that the eldest son or a close personal friend must assist. That person's role was to hand the dying Klingon a knife so that he can plunge it into his heart, remove it, and then wipe the blood on his own sleeve. ( ) The Klingon afterlife was supposedly divided into two branches. The dishonored were taken to Gre'thor aboard the Barge of the Dead, a vessel captained by Kortar, the first Klingon. Kortar was supposedly the one who had originally killed the gods who created him and was condemned to ferry the dishonored to Gre'thor as a punishment. Once in Gre'thor, the dishonored were watched over by Fek'lhr, a vaguely Klingon-esque figure. While it may be tempting to view Fek'lhr as the Klingon equivalent of the Human devil, according to Kang, the Klingons have no devil. ( ; ; ) Those who die honorably supposedly went to Sto-vo-kor, where Kahless was said to await them. However, should a noble warrior die in a manner that might not merit a place in Sto-vo-kor, such as being assassinated in a surprise attack, he may still earn a place if others dedicate a great battle to his name, thus showing that he has earned respect among the living. ( ; ; ) Klingon rituals included the R'uustai, a bonding ceremony which joined two people together in a relationship similar to brotherhood. ( ) Klingon tradition holds that "the son of a Klingon is a man the day he can first hold a blade." ( ) If a Klingon warrior struck another Klingon with the back of his hand, it was interpreted as a challenge to the death. Klingon warriors spoke proudly to each other; they did not whisper or keep their distance. Standing far away or whispering were considered insults in Klingon society. ( ) When going into battle, Klingon warriors often sang the traditional warriors' anthem, which was essentially an invocation to Kahless and a pledge to win a good death in battle. ( ) When choosing a mate, it is traditional for a female Klingon to bite the male's face, allowing her to taste his blood and get his scent. ( ) Klingon daughters traditionally are given a piece of jewelry called a jinaq when they become old enough to select a mate. ( ) )}} See also * Klingon mythology * Klingon philosophy Science and technology *Klingon starship classes *Klingon starships *Klingon blade weapons *Klingon language People *Klingons *Unnamed Klingons Klingon space *Klingon planets *Klingon Neutral Zone Food and beverages *''Bahgol'' *Bloodwine *Bregit lung *''Chech'tluth'' *Firewine *''Gagh'' *''Gladst'' *Grapok sauce *Heart of targ *Klingon martini *Pipius claw *''Racht'' *Rokeg blood pie *Raktajino *Warnog *''Zilm'kach'' Appendices Appearances A list of all appearances of Klingons (excluding appearances of Worf and B'Elanna Torres). * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** (Excalbian recreation only) * ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** (hologram only) ** (hologram only) ** (hologram only) ** ** (dream only) ** ** ** ** * films: ** ** ** ** ** ** ** (deleted scene) Background Klingons were introduced in Star Trek: The Original Series, and first appeared in the episode . At the time, they appeared as fairly ordinary Humans with heavy makeup and mustaches (although their appearance changed even within the original series, with dark makeup and heavy eyebrows being the norm, but the Klingons of being much lighter-skinned and Human-like in appearance). Beginning with , improved makeup techniques and bigger budgets led to their present elaborate forehead designs. The inspiration for the post-TOS Klingon make-up came from Planet Earth, a 1974 Gene Roddenberry pilot which starred Diana Muldaur and Ted Cassidy. That pilot featured a Klingon-inspired, warlike race of mutant Humans called the Kreeg who had ridges down the center of their foreheads. After made the change in appearance part of the canon, the Star Trek: Enterprise episodes and explained the differences. Including Worf's appearances, the Klingons are the only non-Federation species to have appeared in all the movies. In they attempt to attack V'Ger and are vaporized. They appear in the simulation of the Kobayashi Maru test in . They are the primary villains after the Genesis technology in . In the primary vessel is a Klingon Bird of Prey and the Klingon Ambassador appears early on to have Kirk extradited. In , a Klingon Ambassador is featured again, on Nimbus III and they also appear as secondary villains as a young brash Klingon officer chases Kirk for the glory of defeating an infamous enemy of the Empire. In , General Chang is the primary villain as a Klingon and they also appear throughout the film during the peace process of the Khitomer Accords. In all TNG movies, Worf appears despite his commitments to Deep Space 9, and the Duras sisters appear in . The Klingon ships once again appear in the Kobayashi Maru in . The only time the Klingon symbol is seen in the original series is in , and the high spire is actually facing right, not straight up as the subsequent versions are. Also, on the original Klingon ship model (the camera angles never showed it on the series), it was facing to the right there as well. It was probably meant to be that way originally, but series execs and concept designers likely found it looked better pointing straight up. Note that the Klingons in Star Trek VI were given lavender blood specifically for ratings and plot purposes; Klingon blood on TV is red. Also, even individual Klingon makeup (Worf's head, for example) can change from episode to episode. According to David Alexander, in Star Trek Creator, a biography of Gene Roddenberry, Roc Books, 1994, the Klingons were named for Lieutenant Wilbur Clingan, a friend of Roddenberry who served with him in the Los Angeles Police Department. Besides Michael Dorn and Roxann Dawson, the other Star Trek cast members who have worn the full Klingon makeup include Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Rene Auberjonois, Tim Russ, Kate Mulgrew, Ethan Phillips and Scott Bakula. A story Robert O'Reilly tells in an interview in the DS9 Season 7 DVD, is that a long running joke among actors who have played Klingons, is that they do not want to appear in the films, as, he believes, that the only purpose of a Klingon in one of the films was to be killed off. He was proven right in Generations. The infamous Klingon saying "Today is a good day to die" actually originated from the Lakotan warrior Crazy Horse. Apocrypha In the novel Summon the Thunder, part of the Star Trek: Vanguard series, the Klingons who had a Human appearance (descendants of the victims of the Klingon augment virus) are referred to as "QuchHa", or "the unhappy ones". They usually served in their own units although they also were known to mix with the rest of the fleet on occasion. In the novel Pawns and Symbols, Klingons are discovered to be color blind in the Human sense, unable to distinguish red from black. It is also discovered that their vision extends into the ultraviolet, to 32,000 Ångströms. In the novel Ishmael, the Klingons are described as having been economically conquered and uplifted by the Karsid empire. The Klingons then rebelled and overthrew the Karsids, obtaining their high technology. This was given as one reason for why the Klingons were the way they were, and also how they could have developed star-faring technology given their current social structure. Popular culture On January 10th, 2007, Congressman made a speech on the House of Representatives floor referring to George Bush's staff as Klingons with regard to the Iraq War. Wu, an admitted fan of Star Trek, said he was making a reference to the title of James Mann's recent book Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet (ISBN 0670032999). In the book, Mann writes that "Vulcans" is a nickname that President Bush's foreign policy advisory team in the 2000 campaign gave itself, originating from the large statue of the Roman god Vulcan in Bush adviser Condoleezza Rice's hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Wu said that unlike "the Vulcans of Star Trek", who "make decisions based on logic and fact", Rice and her cadre behave more like the warlike Klingons, saying, "there are Klingons in the White House". Wu continued that unlike "real Klingons", who are also known as fierce warriors, those in the White House "have never fought a battle of their own". He concluded "don't let faux Klingons send real Americans to war." On 16 January 2007, comedian Jon Stewart dedicated a short segment of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to talk about this speech. He was joined in this discussion by Leonard Nimoy and George Takei (Spock and Hikaru Sulu respectively). In the discussion Nimoy stated that the analogy was weak, citing that while Klingons are warlike, they adhere to a strict code of honor. External links * * * * KlingonSearch.com - dedicated Klingon search portal Category:Qo'noS Category:Species cs:Klingon de:Klingone eo:Klingonoj es:Klingons fr:Klingon it:Klingon ja:クリンゴン nl:Klingon pl:Klingoni